As always… Yahoo! It’s Friday. Today’s musing is about Social Media, and how it may be affecting our lives.

Social Media I’ve been thinking about at all the different social media platforms. I get overwhelmed by the number of messages people send, post, share or whatever. It gets worse when the replies or comments start flowing in. Now add the targeted advertising that happens on social media platforms. I look at the connections I have on Linked In, Facebook and Twitter. I wonder how many of them are real. If we weren’t connected on a social media platform would we be connected at all? Would we even know each other? Would we communicate? Through social media I’ve been connected with family members I never knew and still haven’t met and reconnected with other family members whom I haven’t heard from in years. I’ve learned a lot about them even though I don’t know them. I learn more about my sister’s from Facebook than from them talking to me. I rarely hear from my brothers. Like any media platform social media can be used for good as well as bad. Good… reconnecting friends and family, sharing stories of hope and joy, sharing pictures, sharing motivational and inspirational stories and pictures. Bad… spreading rumours, spreading horrific videos, stalking, cyber bullying.

Here is a poem I wrote about social media one day when I was feeling very overwhelmed by it. Social Media Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MySpace Google+ Pinterest Bebo 1,313 friends and followers Well connected

And yet… I feel so alone So disconnected Trying to remember When was the last time I had a real conversation

Posting Tweeting Pinning Words and pictures Going out Discordant Disconnected Disparate conversations What are you saying? Can you hear me? Are we communicating? Are we real? For it or against it, social media is a big part of people’s lives. Two important things I can say are, 1) use caution when you are sharing information, pictures and connections on social media 2) get out and speak to people face to face, have real conversations

Social Media Quotes “Social media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.” Brene Brown “It's important for people to talk and get beyond the wall of Facebook and social media.” Billy Corgan “These days. Most of us have the attention span of a meth-addicted squirrel.” Kirsten Lamb “I know for a fact that I would be happier without social media in my life but I can't bring myself to delete it.” Unknown